A Second Chance
by ForeverFreelancer
Summary: Follow Discord and Princess Celestia as they prepare for their wedding day, and what lies beyond. Along the way, Discord may have to learn that at times, love means compromise. Is he ready to put his old ways to rest so he can finally find true happiness, and be with the love of his immortal life?


_Well I couldn't help myself. After reading Legacy55's wonderful stories, I had to try my hand at a full-length story about Discord and Celestia, so here I am. His work inspired me so much, in fact it was initially his DiscordxCelestia stories combined with art I'd come across on deviantArt that got me into this pairing in the first place. So I'd like to thank him for all the inspiration he gave me simply by writing. (And sorry for my little faux pas there Legacy)_

_This isn't necessarily a continuation of my previous Dislestia one-shots, as this takes place after "Keep Calm and Flutter On". I hope anyone reading enjoys this._

_Note: The cover pic I'm using was created by dissonus on DeviantArt. Their art is beautiful and eye-catching and I'm honored they let me use this particular piece, called "A Moment of Consonance" for the cover picture. Thank you again, dissonus. _

* * *

Chapter 1 Preparations

* * *

Celestia closed her eyes, focusing her powers on the skies above. She spread her feathered wings out wide as her hooves left the ground. She glided straight up, rising higher and higher as her equine form radiated a warm golden glow, the magic auras enveloping her. A blinding white light flashed in the sky as the princess raised the glorious sun to begin the day for her kingdom of Equestria.

She slowly opened her eyes and hovered in place, her wings flapping slowly. Once her task was complete, she glided back down to the balcony of a lofty spire of her castle home. Here, she could stare up at the sky, at the sun, from a distance. Her gaze eventually strayed away from the sun, her eyes falling on the sunrise in the sky, on the vibrant trails of oranges and purples spanning over the horizon.

It was breathtaking.

She suddenly felt two arms snaking their way around her neck, and she jumped, startled. But her fright quickly faded as she felt the draconequus nuzzle his cheek up against hers.

"You do that every single morning, and it never ceases to leave me in awe," he said to her.

She smiled back with a modest shrug of her shoulders. "It's nothing," she murmured, never arrogant of her powers.

He scoffed lightly and released his hold on her neck so he could cross his arms. "Celestia, honestly, you raise the sun, giving light to everpony in existence, and you say it's 'nothing'?" He smirked at her playfully. "I'm afraid I'll have to firmly disagree."

She laughed softly. "It's just…something I've always done." She gazed up at the marvelous colors the sunrise displayed. "The sky's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Oh yes," he replied as he raised his lion paw upward. "It's truly mesmerizing, the colors seem to stretch on and on, like a never-ending painting. As if somepony took a paintbrush and created a heavenly masterpiece. And then of course there's the sun, I love to look at it the most you know, but I can't look at it for too long, or I'll surely be blinded by its light and unsurpassable beauty." He ran a talon gently down the side of her face as his voice dropped to a whisper. "Kind of like you."

Her gaze met his with an amorous smile on her muzzle. He certainly did have a way with words.

She lifted her front left hoof and leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek. But a kiss on the cheek alone simply couldn't sate the chimera. He cupped her face in his mismatched hands and gave her a true kiss, tilting his head just slightly as her soft lips meshed gently with his.

His small wings fluttered and those shivers surged along his flexible spine, something that always happened during an intimate moment he shared with the sun princess.

And did he ever love that feeling.

Celestia drew away as her head began to reel. She blinked several times and sighed up at those unique eyes of his, that ever-present glint of mischief sparking in them.

She grinned and chortled as he playfully brushed his muzzle against hers.

"Discord," she tried, shivering as he carefully slid his claws along her neck, tracing designs on her ivory coat.

Before she could say another word, he had compromised her ability to speak clearly by pressing his lips against hers for the second time that morning.

She giggled and pushed him away with her front hooves.

Not expecting the kiss to be cut short, his eyes gradually opened and he smirked at her, his bushy brows furrowing deeply over his eyes.

The alicorn gave him an apologetic smile. "As much as I wish we could spend all day together like this, just us two, we do have quite a busy agenda ahead of us..."

Discord couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Yes yes, I know, the wedding planning starts full force today."

She nodded as she turned to leave the balcony and headed back inside the castle. The two walked down the tower's spiral staircase. "Yes," Celestia began, "and I'm afraid that it won't all be fun and games, but it has to be done." A serious expression swept over the alicorn's face as her thoughts assembled in her mind at a hurried pace, concentrating on all the tasks that needed to be completed. "Let's see…we have to arrange for a caterer, find a florist to provide the flowers, hire a decorator, assemble a prestigious orchestra…then there's choosing the songs we want played, picking out a cake. And then there's the matter of my dress…"

Discord flapped his wings and hovered beside her, choosing to fly down the winding corridor while she walked. "Is your dress really such an important matter my princess?" he asked.

She blinked and stared back at him in mild shock. "Well...yes, of course. Don't you want me to wear something elegant on our wedding day?"

He shrugged, giving her his trademark smirk. "I don't think it really matters what you wear, you're going to look beautiful no matter what."

He chuckled inwardly as he watched the dark shade of crimson rapidly color her cheeks.

But she quickly recomposed herself as her frown of concentration returned. "That's very sweet of you to say Di—"

"Although I must say I prefer you without clothes on, but that's just me," he mumbled, loudly enough for her keen ears to pick up on it.

She gasped, her jaw falling open as she gaped at him in disbelief. "Discord!" she scolded in a breathless whisper.

He bit his lip, trying to stifle his laughter, but failed miserably, his serpentine form twisting up into a knot as he snickered at her. But at seeing her disapproving face, he put his lion paw to his chest, his laughter quieting. He tapped a talon to his fiancé's chin, making her look his way.

"Oh come on, I was only teasing Celestia, you know that! I respect you more than anypony in the entire world." He pressed his lips together in a tight line. "But you don't know how much I wish you could've seen the look on your face!" He plopped down on the ground and held his stomach as he laughed.

With a heavy sigh, Celestia kept walking, not finding it at funny as she did. "Alright Discord, focus. We have a lot to take care of if this wedding is going to go off without a hitch."

"Funny choice of words seeing as we're getting hitched, don't you think?" he lightly elbowed her and chuckled.

She rolled her eyes with a small shake of her head. "Discord, please, can't you be serious about this?" she pleaded. "This isn't just some trivial matter to make light of; this is our wedding we're talking about. An incredibly momentous occasion signifying our union as a true entity. And like it or not, you're going to have to straighten up a little. It's not always about having fun anymore. You're going to have to start presenting yourself as a prince would, since you'll assume the throne alongside me shortly after. And you'll have lots of new responsibilities as somepony of royal status. I hope you know how important it is to me that this all goes smoothly."

"Of course I do," he answered with a nod, a light grimace crossing his muzzle. "I'll be honest when I say I'm not looking forward to performing royal duties of any kind, my sweet, but I suppose I can grow to tolerate them. After all…anything's better than being encased in stone."

Celestia stopped in her tracks, looking back up at him with a frown, sadness and sympathy slowly filling her eyes. She preferred to never bring up his previous imprisonment, fearing it would provoke the more severe emotions that lay dormant in the draconequus.

It had been so difficult for her to imprison somepony she cared so deeply for.

Of course, they were past all that now. And instead of dwelling on the dreary events of the past, all Celestia wanted to do right now was look to the bright future they would share.

Together.

Finding no trace of resentment or anger in his different sized irises, she shook herself from her troubling thoughts and returned her focus to her current wedding plans. "W-well, don't worry so much about that just yet. What's more important right now is the set of upcoming preparations. And I want you to promise me you won't cause any trouble, during events leading up to the ceremony, or during the ceremony itself."

His ears drooping, he shot her a miffed look. "I can't even have a little fun?" He pinched two talons together, holding them just millimeters apart from each other. "Not even the _tiniest_ bit?" he squeaked innocently, his lower lip sticking out in a pout.

Celestia smiled and put a hoof to his cheek. "I know how much pulling pranks and wreaking chaos means to you, and I'm fine with it, in very small amounts, but I want you to promise me you'll hold off on creating chaos, just until after the wedding. After that you can stir up chaos now and again to your heart's content…" Her gaze became stern as she eyed him. "But _sparingly._ And as long as no serious consequences come of it."

He lifted her left hoof, seeing his reflection in the facets of the diamond on the band around her ankle. He then lifted his gaze to look into her eyes, those deep magenta eyes that could make him go weak in the knees whenever he caught sight of them. "I promise not to stir up any chaos that might disrupt our wedding plans. You have my word, my princess." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which caused a smile to form on her lips.

"Thank you my love," she sighed, continuing down the corridor. "Now, as I was saying, there's much to do. And the first order of business is to organize a guest list."

They finally reached the towering door that led to the main meeting hall of the castle. Two royal guards bowed as the two entered. Celestia nodded in acknowledgment before stepping into the room.

In the center of the meeting hall stood a long table that was empty, save for a particular alicorn at the head of it. Seated here was the princess of the night, Luna. She was using her magic to organize envelopes and pieces of parchment across the tabletop. She looked up as her elder sister entered with Discord.

"Good morning dear sister," Luna greeted her. Luna then looked to the draconequus with an expression that harbored much less fondness, if it harbored any fondness at all. She forced a courteous smile to the chimera who was soon to be a part of her family. "And...I-I wish you a good morning as well, Discord," she managed to say.

"Good morning dearest Luna," Discord replied with a cheeky grin, causing Luna's brow to quirk. He snapped his fingers and teleported to her side, sitting down next to her. "Might I say your full moon looked particularly magnificent last night, along with those stars, placed ever so meticulously?"

His feigned flattery earned him an impassive stare from the younger princess. "Don't think your decision to use your magic for benevolent purposes is going to convince me that you've truly changed, Discord. I'll need to see it with my very own eyes if I'm to believe it to the fullest."

She tensed up as he casually placed his hands on her shoulders and inched closer to her. "But of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from such a levelheaded pony like yourself, little sister, you don't mind if I call you that do you?" He picked her quill pen up off the table and with a snap of his talons, began levitating it magically for his own amusement. "I mean we _will_ practically be family soon, after all." He flashed a toothy grin.

She uneasily cleared her throat and continued to stare at him with stern eyes. "I would prefer if you didn't refer to me in such a way Discord. At least not striaght away; I'll need more time to warm up to the idea of you becoming my…" the final word took much more effort to leave her mouth, like vinegar on her tongue, "in-law."

The draconequus wasn't taken aback in any way by her cold tone and chuckled, thoroughly enjoying provoking the younger alicorn. he poked her on the snout, making her jump. "Luna, I think in time, you'll come to find we'll be the best of friends. Why, we already have two things in common: we've both been given a second chance…" He teleported to Celestia's side and linked his arms around her neck…"and we both love your older sister more than life itself."

"This is actually your _third_ chance, if we're counting your previous escape," Luna muttered under her breath.

"Alright you two," Celestia spoke up, desiring to keep the peace, as always. She looked to her sister and fiancé, who took a seat beside her. "Let's get to work on this guest list, shall we?" She glanced around the room, confusion gracing her features. "Where are my royal advisers, and my scribes?"

As an answer to her question, a group of unicorns burst through the door, huffing as they caught their breath.

"Begging your pardon, your highness," the silver unicorn in front said. He approached Celestia and bowed. The unicorns following him did the same. "Our meeting with the court ran late," he explained.

"It's quite alright," Celestia replied with an amiable smile. "Please have a seat, we were just about to get started."

The five unicorns nodded obediently and took their places at the meeting hall table.

"As you all know, my wedding is something I wish I could share with every pony in the kingdom, but I can't possibly invite every single one of my subjects, the chapel only fits several hundred. So, I'm going to need your help to help me create a guest list so we can send invitations out as soon as possible."

The five nodded, responding all at once.

"Yes, your highness."

"Absolutely, your highness."

"Consider it done."

The female unicorn advisers began magically stacking envelopes and collecting pieces of parchment.

Celestia herself levitated a parchment in front of her. "Now," she said, "I'll most definitely want my niece Cadance and her husband, Shining Armor in attendance."

The unicorn scribes began to furiously write on their parchment.

"And I'll want Shining Armor's relatives in attendance as well, namely his parents, and his younger sister, my student, Twilight Sparkle. She'll be one of my bridesmares, if she agrees to it, and Luna will be my Mare of Honor."

Luna nodded. "Of course, my sister."

Celestia smiled lovingly at her before turning her attention back to her advisers and scribes. "And I'll want many of her friends from Ponyville to be there too." As she began to name off different ponies she wished to invite, Discord grew very bored. He levitated a quill pen in front of his face, manipulating it through magic, causing it to dance about in the open air. But the magic trick did little to ease his boredom.

But just then his equine ear perked up to a particular name Celestia uttered among the other desired guests, and he quickly thought up an idea to escape the tedious task of making a guest list. "Celestia?" he interrupted.

Everyone stopped and looked up at the chimera.

"Yes, Discord?" Celestia asked.

He picked up an envelope and began to outline the decorative designs on it with a talon. "Would it be alright if I deliver some of these invitations personally to a few ponies?"

Celestia exchanged glances with her sister. At ultimately finding his request to be a harmless one, she said, "Well…I suppose that would be alright."

She had barely finished her sentence before Discord swiped up several invitations. "Great! I'll just go and take care of that right now."

Luna held a hoof up. "And to _whom_ are you personally delivering these invitations to, Discord?" she demanded.

"A few of my friends from Ponyville," Discord answered in an innocent tone. "Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, you want to invite them all, am I correct?"

Celestia nodded. "Yes, Twilight and her friends are all invited, but I was going to write a letter to Twilight myself to inform her about being a bridesmare."

"Not to worry then, I won't spoil the surprise or anything, I'll just give her the invitation." He held his lion paw up in a swear gesture. "You have my word, my dearest."

"Very well then," Celestia replied with another nod. "Just hurry back soon."

In an abrupt action, Discord placed his hands on either side of his beautiful fiancé's face and pulled her into a surprise passionate kiss, causing the other ponies in the room to look away uncomfortably.

When he released her, he was smiling at the bright flush of color gracing her cheeks. He ran a hand through her cascading pastel mane. "I won't be long."

And with a snap of his fingers, he was gone.

With the draconequus gone, the advisers and scribes looked to her highness, awaiting further orders.

The blush still not fully faded from her cheeks, Celestia cleared her throat and anxiously ran a hoof through her mane. "Right…yes…now, where were we?"

Luna hid an eye roll.

* * *

The bright light disappeared almost immediately as Discord's feet touched down onto a bridge spanning over a small creek that led to a familiar cottage. Butterflies flew about overhead and birds sang pleasant melodies from the treetops.

Discord smiled as he looked down and noticed a certain white bunny scowling up at him, tapping his tiny foot in annoyance.

Discord leaned down and patted the rabbit's head, earning him a glare.

"So good to see you again Angel," Discord greeted the rabbit.

Angel swatted his paws up at the draconequus, gritting his teeth.

Discord only chuckled at him, quickly sprinting up to the door of the cottage, knocking his knuckles against the wood.

It was high time he paid his good friend Fluttershy a visit.

* * *

_Let's see how things pan out from here. Thank you so much for taking the time to read. _


End file.
